Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry says one of its helicopters has crashed near Moscow, killing three pilots aboard.
The ministry says the Mi-8 helicopter crashed while on training mission on September 21.
Media reports quoted aviation officials on September 22 as saying that two flight recorders had been retrieved from the aircraft's debris overnight, and sent to the Interstate Aviation Committee for analysis.
The Mi-8 is a helicopter used by military and civilian operators in Russia and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union.
Past crashes involving the Mi-8 have often been blamed on poor maintenance and disregard for safety rules.
